Just received this as a comment. Please, if you are involved with Bethel, Crowder, any part of the charismatic/word of faith movement, the healing rooms or the prophetic, check these methods with the word of God. They may seem right, but they are occult at the core. I know this is so because I used to be a part of it all. Praise God for His saving grace!
I really wanted to share my story too as my church in the UK has become well & truly Bethelized, the transition into it has been a subtle & underhanded invasion, swapping of truth for error, what Im posting is about that journey of utter deception & how it gets in.
late 2009- Bill Johnson comes to my town in a big church wide event…. some time after that mtg (I didnt go to it because I really dont like big events) our senior pastor sat down with some leaders & discussed the audacity of bethel people visiting mind/body/spirit./psychic type fairs & setting up stalls that would offer to pray for healing & prophesy over people that would frequent such a place… 1st red flag no gospel preached/ & irresponsible – how on earth do people who are mostly drawn to occult practices discern & distinguish & make appropriate responses to that which is reportedly from a Holy God in that type of setting. ok I know god can reach anyone anywhere anyhow – but his “method” promotes spiritual confusion I believe in people who are dead to sin & lost to HIM.
May 2010: a group of leaders form our church & around the town visit Bethel… they return “odd’ different but not in a good way – immediately there is a lot of praying for individuals in the church by laying a hand on the forehead without the individual’s permission – these leaders just go up & “minister”- shouting & whooooaing in prayer times… also wafting hand movements during prayer times. my ” mentor’ who I love dearly & know very well now exhibits a subtle change in personality & has experienced a range of ill health ever since.
Red Flag 1: the language begins to change – we hear about impartation/intoxication of the spirit & relationship with father/ the work of Jesus on the cross becomes lessend as we focus on a culture of developing the prophetic/miracles & concentrate on being family
rest of 2010…. we begin to immerse in Jesus culture music – begin preparing plans to launch our own healing rooms.. the “culture of honour” is widely talked about promoted from the senior leadership team.
Red flag 2: even though a culture of honour & doing everything from a place of loving relationship/family is promoted big time – various circumstances present themselves where honour should have been highly practiced – where in fact the opposite could be said
2011- senior leadership from Bethel visit the church. its obvious people form other places in the UK flock to hear the latest word.healing rooms begins
Students from Bethel BSSM visit the town: we actively see for the first time prophetic art & the interpretation of it in our service time- soaking or what they would call “carpet time” is evident & other new phrases begin to pop into our language
* being whacked by God – get whacked – stay whacked – never go back
* get activated in the spirit/prophetic
* we want Jesus to get what he died for ( in relation to miracles)
* release & freedom become Big words
* Host the prescence
* More More & More
Red flag 3: senior leaders are imparting drunkeness to each other (& everyone else)- rolling around on floor – throwing love/bliss bombs at each other. & stating that they feel so drunk they are not sure how they could drive home. some of the behaviour they exhibit & allow would have been considered demonic & or worthy of discipline 20/25 years ago
present:
*church decides to set up its own supernatural school of ministry
* other leaders visit to Bethel & other conferences around the uk & return using odd & confusing language – mostly pointing to the idea that Gods word was for then & the spirit or the flow (of the new wine) is for now
* we go totally overboard on the prophetic – with instruction form the senior leaders to develop, be ready & willing to give a prophetic word to literally anyone, anywhere, anytime.
* other leaders visit to Bethel & other conferences around the uk & return using odd & confusing language – mostly pointing to the idea that Gods word was for then & the spirit or the flow (of the new wine) is for now
* we go totally overboard on the prophetic – with instruction form the senior leaders to develop, be ready & willing to give a prophetic word to literally anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Red flag 4: the occult creeps in: we now use Bethel’s offering readings ( look it up on their website) when we collect our tithes & offerings – this to me is nothing short of an incantation – a list of demands to get what WE want from God including “divine manifestations” & angelic visitations.
people are encouraged to place a cloth on their head during prayer at HR
& we are also offering people ” spiritual readings” this is where various prayers are written on cards & people are encouraged to randomly select one & have a leader pray over them for fulfillment in that area – just feels like home grown Tarot.
people are encouraged to place a cloth on their head during prayer at HR
& we are also offering people ” spiritual readings” this is where various prayers are written on cards & people are encouraged to randomly select one & have a leader pray over them for fulfillment in that area – just feels like home grown Tarot.
After all of this I have to say IM OUT – they will have my resignation by the end of the week !
I just felt I wanted to post all this so that others can see how this has happened chronologically like a drip drip drip effect of Blurrgh! which has sucked many in.
